Fighting high chair

AmySmolos · March 2014

My ds will be 20 months old (what??!!) on the 30th and the past week he's been fighting hi high chair at dinner time. He eats in it fine for breakfast and lunch when I'm not around but at dinner he won't get in it, wants to sit on my lap, and wants to walk around with his food and play in between bites. I've told him his plate stays on the table for eating and I eat at the table with him so I don't know where this is coming from. He throws a full on tantrum about it. I don't let him walk around but he ends up not really eating dinner because of it. Ideas? Is this a battle I should chose to fight or a phase that will pass? I'm so confused on this one.

NeneCakies · March 2014

Maybe he finds it uncomfortable or restrictive? I'm pretty adamant about eating at the table so I would try other ways of getting him there. Maybe he's ready for a booster seat strapped to a chair pulled up to the table? You can get them fairly cheap. We have one that folds for travel that B really likes.

alrighthamilton · March 2014

Our high chair is adjustable as far as height, so I have been adjusting it to table height and strapping her in without the tray so she has the table in front of her. That's helped tremendously.

AmySmolos · March 2014

Thanks ladies at least I'm not alone! His high chair is the kind that straps onto a regular chair and pulls up to the table. I've tried not using the tray and letting him eat off his plate on the table but he doesn't even want to get in te chair to start! He was all big boy and climbing into his chair on his own while waiting for dinner when he was hungry but now it's a complete 180 and a no go from the start with getting in his chair. Ugg.

SJandVA · March 2014

I think all of this sounds pretty normal. Independence sucks! I'm kidding, of course it's a good thing that the kids learn it but man it makes parenting tough at times.

Toni79 · March 2014

We sometimes have this issue, but its not every day. Thankfully. DD will sit in her highchair for all her meals when she's not with me. But she's not a huge dinner fan to begin with, so sometimes we have trouble getting her in the chair. I usually show her her plate and say "ohhh yum! Look what mommy made for you". That usually distracts her long enough to get her into the chair. But 5 minutes later all her foods on the floor anyway! So I have a totally differant battle to fight with that one! We let her snack on occassion "loose" (i.e. standing at the coffee table). But I think once or twice a week is a nice treat for her! But she has to stay near the table - no walking or running with food!

Maybe your LO wants to sit in your lap because the miss you. There have been a few times DD has asked to sit in my lap for dinner. And its usually the days when we've spent alot of time apart.

JulieMarie21 · March 2014

We put away the high chair months ago. It was a battle we just didn't want to fight. For awhile she would sit on my lap, now she mostly stands and sometimes sits on a chair. we pushed it against a wall and I push my chair next to hers so she won't fall off. At restaurants we try to get a booth so she can just stand/sit on the booth. I'm glad to hear we aren't the only ones who had to battle the high chair.

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